Wy's Trip to England!
by shadowraven45662
Summary: Wy's visiting England for the Ragatta! She's finally meeting her South Coast Friends! What adventures await her? Collab between me and Stsenna! Enjoy!
1. Prologue! Meet the Cast!

_Hello Everyone! SO, technically all my other stories are on HIATUS because of exams and stuffs but this one I can get away with since the majority of the chapters have already been written. Its just a case of me uploading them for you! Which I shall try to do daily, if not every other day. Depending on my current work load so please understand that I am very very busy._

_ANYWAYS! This is a collaboration fic that originated (not in Korea, in England haha) in the letter fic "Letters to that other Micro Nation" by Stsenna. I recommend you check his out if you need any further reading before this story. Specifically you'll want to be reading the letters I wrote in as my South Coast OC's : Portsmouth, Southampton and Brighton. But for your benefit this prologue chapter will give you an insight into these OC's (which belong to me! And to Stsenna!) and a little background to the setting of this story. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it with Stsenna!_

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DRAMATIS PERSONAE

(Latin for who's appearing in this story)

Ashleigh Williams

The Principality of Wy

7

Height unknown

Appearance is as the Author describes her, ditto her personality. It should also be mentioned that she is currently dating Sealand.

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Bekki Kirkland

Portsmouth "Pompey"

16

153cm

Shoulder length blonde hair that is wavy with a full fringe. Green eyes, eyebrows like England (naturally ^^), will be wearing her full navy uniform which consists of a white sailor shirt with a sailor collar (like sealand's shirt) under a navy jumper (but you can still see the collar) black trousers and tall black boots. Her Navy hat keeps her hair back off her face, its white with a blue ribbon. She has a necklace in the shape of a boat that represents the Spinnaker tower.

She's bubbly and confident with the tendency to slip into pirate speak when reminiscing or excited (or drunk haha). She gets on well with others, in particular with younger children. Can hold her own in a fight and is fiercely protective of people she cares about. Will not get along well with the French. The undisputed leader of the six she never lets the situation get her down, even if her football team is really struggling currently.

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Jack Kirkland

Southampton "So 'ton"

16

164cm

Blonde hair which is reasonably short but he has a thick side fringe down the left side of his face so it looks longer than it actually is. Green eyes and England Eyebrows will be wearing his own navy uniform but it's a little different than Pompey's in that it is a darker blue and has Gold clasps down the front and gold epaulettes. Black trousers and boots, his navy hat is the same as Pompey's.

He's confident as well, but more level headed and sensible than his sister. Calm in a crisis but can fight when he needs to. Cares for the older of the south coast siblings leaving Pompey to handle the little kids. Does not like the French. Naturally polite and considerate since he works mainly with the upper class when he manages his cruise liners.

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John Kirkland and Albion the Seagull

Brighton and Hove Albion

14

145cm

Blonde spikey hair that sticks out in various different directions but is covered by a brown straw hat. Green eyes and England eyebrows, tends to wear beach clothing consisting of a white shirt with the top buttons undone with a red sleeveless jumper on top if it's cold and a pair of shorts. He has a couple of burn marks on his chest from where his old pier was blown up in WW2. Currently in a relationship with Blackpool the Gay capital of the North. Albion is a white seagull with blue wingtips and a yellow beak; he wears a rainbow scarf which represents Brighton's reputation as the gay capital of the south.

Mischievous and with a love of being annoying Brighton never backs down from a challenge and is fiercely competitive. Loves a good joke, relaxing on his beach in the summer and making sweets for his tourists. His speciality is rock of all different colours and shapes. Tends to act without thinking and can be very naïve at times which usually has disastrous results. Caring and devoted to Blackpool, he loves to spend time with him.

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Emmy Kirkland

Bristol

12

132cm

Blonde hair that reaches her knees even when tied up in her trademark bunches. She doesn't use hairbands, but cog wheels to hold her hair back which shows her affinity for mechanics and construction, her city is a centre for ship building. Green eyes and England Eyebrows. She wears a silver grey dress which is frilled to look like cogs and gears as well. She has her ears pierced several times on both sides (which she did herself ouch!) and there is a rumour she's pierced her bellybutton as well.

If you know Winry Rockbell from Fullmetal Alchemist then you'll know where her personality comes from. A complete gearhead; she loves tinkering with anything metal she can get her hands on, specialising in shipbuilding and repairs. Headstrong, and very emotional. Doesn't always see eye to eye with her siblings who are a little more laid-back compared to her. But she's trustworthy as well as very intelligent.

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James Kirkland

Dover

7

110cm

Small and innocent looking, green eyes and England eyebrows. His blonde hair is short and neatly brushed. On one side he wears three hairclips that represent the three levels of the secret tunnels of Dover Castle. Long purple jacket (it's basically like what Latvia wears but in a royal purple colour) with gold epaulettes and buttons, purple trousers and black boots. Often seen clutching one of his toy boats which represent his position as a port for the many cargo ferries between him and Calais.

Quiet and reserved mostly, barely speaks a word unless it is completely necessary. Quick to anger if you break one of his boats and his favourite method of revenge is to hang you by your ankles of his cliffs. Is on medication because of an accident that happened 3 centuries ago, If they forget to give it to him he goes a little mad. Ok that's an understatement, even Russia's afraid of him when Dover has a bad day. Very sweet and affectionate otherwise. Nervous around those he doesn't know very well and tends to hide behind Bekki when shy. Hates Calais, correction despises Calais, but the two work together reasonably well. Unless their ferries decide to strike.

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Mallory Kirkland

Isle of Wight

3

85cm

Little and cute, green eyes and England eyebrows. Her blonde hair is down to her waist in two side plaits. Has three teeth that are slightly pointed (like Romania's fang) that represent the Needles but she keeps them hidden because she thinks they stop her looking cute. Wears little blue and white dresses mostly with sailor collars and little blue berets on her head. Often seen with chocolate stains on her clothing and round her mouth.

Tries to convey a personality of being small and cute and innocent but in truth she's headstrong, demanding and foul mouthed. Swearing like a pirate, which of course she was, and with a very strong alcohol tolerance for someone of her size. She speaks with a slight lisp because of her teeth and has a sweet tooth, brought on by a love for making chocolate. She keeps red squirrels on her island and takes care of the local birds as well which makes her a naturally caring person. Pompey dotes on her, but it is partially her fault that Isle of Wight swears so much. She's the baby of the group but that doesn't make her any less capable when it comes to sailing and sword fighting.

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Lukas Kirkland

Blackpool

15

150cm

Geographically he's a northern coastal city but he spends so much time visiting the south to see Brighton and the others they tend to forget that. He's blonde, his hair sticks out wildly on top of his head, he doesn't need to use hair gel either, and is a golden colour representing the golden sand of his beaches (known as "the Golden Mile") . Green eyes and large eyebrows naturally. Wears an outfit similar to what Brighton does; a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up but instead with long blue jeans and an indigo waistcoat. From head to toe his is draped in flashing fairy lights of all colours representing the Blackpool illuminations that take place every year. Don't ask him to show you Blackpool tower, its his Vital regions.

Loud, proud and happily in love with Brighton Blackpool is a city who's come back from disaster. Up til recently he'd been sick with a cold brought about by a failing tourist trade but now everything seems to be turning for the better! He's very impulsive, acting long before he thinks about what he's doing and loves a good party. However, he is also a true gentleman and has the skill to train anyone to become a ballroom dancer. He is excellent himself, being the home of Ballroom of course, and delights in being able to teach newcomers.

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Olly Kirkland

The Grand Duchy of the Lagoan Islands

8 ½

115cm

Blonde hair that's spikey but kept held down by a white sailors cap, green eyes and England's eyebrows (only more like Sealand's really). Wears a blue roll neck jumper with a purple neckerchief tied in a sailor's knot (like what the sea scouts have if you've ever seen them), black shorts with pockets on them and tall black boots with gold buttons on them. His territory consist of three small islands and a pond.

A loud little upstart of a micronation who not only had the nerve to declare his independence from Portsmouth but equally had the nerve to go back to her and demand she both recognise him AND teach him how to get other nations to recognise him. Something she can't exactly do since she's not a country herself. So mostly she finds him a complete pain in the neck. Since he was founded by a teacher he shows an incredible wealth of general knowledge and is very academic for his age. Like Sealand he has a strong sense of determination and pride.

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Jean-Luc Bonnefoy

Calais

7

110cm

A French Coastal city with long blonde hair held in a side ponytail and a red beret. His eyes are blue like France's and he's often seen smirking. Wears an oversized white shirt with the sleeves rolled up, brown trousers that are tucked into his mud coloured boots.

Every bit the chip off the old block of his papa France. Lover, Perv, lazy coward that he is. Works with Dover, despises him. Flirts with anything that moves essentially. Often sneaks into England without a passport to annoy Dover and the others.

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THE SETTING!

Wy and Portsmouth have been corresponding the longest via letters and earlier in the year asked Wy if she would like to come over to England to visit and to take part in the annual sailing regatta they host. This is that very same trip!

Furthermore, the stuff written by me is from Portsmouth's point of view, at one point this will change to Brighton's point of view but I'll let you know. Anything written by Stsenna is in Wy's point of view.

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OK! That's all! We can proceed with the first chapter! For Pictures of my OC's please check out my DA (same username) for reference. All credit for the bits in bold goes to Stsenna. Furthermore I do not own Hetalia, neither does Stsenna.


	2. Wy's Arrival! Meet the South Coast!

_Chapter 1 is up! hope you all enjoy!_

_A/N Bold type is Stsenna's work non-bold tyoe is mine!_

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**The plane ride from Sydney to Southampton was a dull one to say the least. 22 hours of having nothing to do was a blessing, however. It gave me time to really build up the feeling of anticipation. What was there not to really look forward to in this trip? From what I've been told by the friends I was visiting, only the famed British rain. Aside from that, I had sailing lessons, beach visits and the fact I'd be seeing people who (apart from the eldest, who had visited me previously) I hadn't seen in years. I took my suitcase from the conveyor belt and walked on. Surprisingly, nobody had asked why a seven year old girl was allowed to travel halfway across the world alone. Thankfully, customs weren't as overly thorough as they are usually made out to be. Not that I was doing anything wrong, but I'd prepared a somewhat strange presentation for my first meeting with my English friends.**

Patience is not an English trait. None of us have any patience at all, so it came as no surprise to me that within five minutes of us arriving at the airport some kind of crisis was breaking out.

"Is she coming yet? Is she? Is she? When's she gonna get here Pompey?" my little sister Isle of Wight whined from below me. I'd been doing my best to ignore her for the past few minutes, in the hopes that she'd get bored and leave the matter alone, but people were starting to stare now so I figured I should say something. Thankfully, my brother So'ton beat me to it.

"Mal, we know her planes landed but she has to get her bags and come through customs first. Just a little longer kay?" he said calmly.

Brighton spoke up next "I can't wait! She's finally coming to visit us! And she said she had a surprise for us too!"

Ah yes, I had forgotten that. In her letters Ashleigh had been hinting at some kind of surprise she was bringing and we'd been curious as to what she had prepared. Next to me Bristol was looking out the window at the runway, muttering about how "planes these days ain't nothing like they used to be." What a gearhead I thought to myself.

"She's here!" The soft voice of Dover announced, indeed it was the first thing he'd said since we arrived here, we all looked over to the custom's area excitedly. Sure enough coming out of border control was Ashleigh, dragging her suitcase behind her.

"You think she'll recognise us?" Brighton asks.

"I think even if she doesn't she can make an educated guess that we're the ones she's looking for. We don't exactly blend in with the crowd do we?" I replied.

Albion gave a loud "SQWARK!"

"My point exactly" I continued.

**From across the waiting room in the airport I heard the unmistakable sound of a seagull. "Albion." I thought to myself. That was more than enough an indicator of where I was meant to be. Walking from border control to the source of the noise, I found the group of "young" English cities awaiting me.**

**All six of them stopped and turned to me, and probably immediately noticed that I wasn't dressed in my usual shorts, cardigan and sandals. Far from it. I took this chance to put the first part of my "plan" into action. I stood at attention, raised my right hand to my forehead, palm facing outwards and kept it there for three counts. Afterwards my hand returned by my side.**

**I smiled at Southampton, the oldest of the bunch and spoke up "Captain Jack Kirkland. Pleased to meet you once again." The lot of them seemed stunned, out of all things they probably didn't expect me to turn up in a sea cadet uniform, complete with formal shoes and salute like a cadet to her commanding officer. I'd even learned how to tie the neckerchief properly, which I hadn't done before.**

**Keeping up with the formal "addressing my superiors act", I continued. "And of course, I'm pleased to meet all of you." I said with a smile looking at the others and tipped my hat. Then came the next surprise. There was a small seagull nestled in there and as we'd rehearsed, it flew the short distance between my head and Brighton's free shoulder and perched itself on there, next to Albion, who was its mother. Standing there in front of what was effectively my audience a broad smile grew on my face and I finished this part of my presentation "So, did you all like that?"**


	3. Introductions! A Navy Style Welcome!

_Chapter 2! Stuff in bold is mine! Stuff not in bold is Stsenna's! _

_It should also be noted that Dover speaks very slowly, he thinks about what he's going to say before he says it. The ... represent hs slow speech. _

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**was stunned, completely floored by this effortless performance from a 7 year old who'd never even been enrolled in the sea scouts let alone the cadets. The uniform did suit her mind, right down to the little parade shoes she was wearing that were all neatly polished. She was better dressed than a lot of my current recruits were.**

**So'ton didn't even bat an eyelid; he stood tall and saluted her back. Cadet Ashleigh Williams it's a pleasure to see you again. Brighton elbowed me out of my stunned daydream and the other five of us followed suit.**

**"Commodore Bekki Kirkland" I said formally "it's an honour to finally meet you."**

**Brighton raised his hand up, nearly whacking Albion and little Alex as he did so, apologised to the seagulls and then said politely. "Lieutenant-Commander John Kirkland Miss Ashleigh."**

**Bristol saluted neatly "Miss Ashleigh I'm Lieutenant-Commander Emmy Kirkland, a pleasure to meet you."**

**Dover smiled a rare smile and said softly "Warrant Officer... James Kirkland."**

**Isle of Wight grinned and saluted grandly "Chief Petty Officer Mallory Kirkland at your service!"**

**Albion Sqwarked with delight and nuzzled baby Alex, both were now sitting atop Brighton's head.**

**I smiled and said "We loved it, it's so nice to finally see you! Was the flight alright?"**

As my audience of English south coast cities stood amazed at the act I'd just pulled off, I felt I'd made my mark and certainly arrived in style. As the six of them introduced themselves to me, I'd simply respond to them each individually with a smile and a nod. And when they'd all finished, it was my turn to speak. "I'm very pleased to meet you all. And I'm certainly happy you enjoyed my little display."

After a brief pause for what was probably the first time since I'd landed, I continued "The flight was fine, Bekki." I was hoping I wasn't expected to be formal anymore, but with Portsmouth it probably wouldn't be a problem anyway. "It wasn't especially eventful mind, but the anticipation of the trip ahead was so much that almost didn't sleep for most of the 22 hours. I just hope I don't fall asleep on you because of the time zone change and all."

Typically of Bekki, she just smiled back at me and replied "Don't worry about it. We understand that you must be tired after all your travelling." It wasn't unusual for her to be caring like that of course.

The other five of them nodded in agreement for a moment but surprisingly, the usually quiet and shy Dover stood forward with his smile from moments ago still visible on his face and spoke in his soft voice "Will there…be more….of that?"

I'd been told many times by Southampton, Portsmouth and Brighton that Dover doesn't usually show emotion, so I was quite proud of myself that he wasn't afraid to show that he wanted more of my "shows."

"I've got many more surprises for you all to look forward to, Dover. That part was mainly for Southampton and Brighton. You'll have your own little surprise from me soon. You all will."


	4. We're off to Isle of Wight's house!

_Chapter Three! Bold is Me! Not Bold is Stsenna as usual! Also please note: Alby is Short for Albion, Alex is the baby Seagull Brighton gave to Wy as a present :D_

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**Dover nodded and stepped back again resuming his original position of clutching at my knee, he was acting all shy around Ashleigh, how cute!**

**Brighton didn't waste any more time in ending the formality of the situation, he leapt at Ashleigh and gave her a huge bear hug. Albion gave a little "Sqwark!" of protest as he and Alex were momentarily caught by surprise at the sudden movement.**

**"John you're making a scene and probably suffocating her. Let go and we'll head back to the house alright?" So'ton's calm but firm voice spoke up.**

**I nodded "c'mon Ashleigh! Let's go! I hope you don't mind having to walk though, it's not too far mind."**

**Bristol picked up Ashleigh's suitcases and began to take them. Ashleigh tried to take them herself but Bristol insisted "You're the guest after all!"**

**"We'll be heading over to my place by train later today and later taking the boat out to-"**

**"MY HOUSE!" interrupted Isle of Wight cheerfully "That's where we're gonna stay for the Ragatta y'see."**

**"Yes" I continued "so a bit of travelling, but should be worth it in the end I hope?"**

Of course, whenever Bekki would ask a question about the trip and the journey being worth the time, effort and energy that we'd all put in there'd only be one set of answers. Either a simple "yes", an "of course" or something else to that effect. So when she asked about the train journey to her house being worth it, my replay was "Sure it'll be worth it! If I didn't think it was going to be worth a train journey, I wouldn't have taken a 22 hour journey to get here would I?"

The trip was about to truly begin as we waited at the train station for the train taking us back to Portsmouth's house and despite not showing it, I was very thankful for Bristol's courtesy in taking my suitcase because after a long plane journey without much rest and a performance on top of that, I was running on empty. Fortunately though, I was in the company of six not so normal cities who didn't give me much cause or reason to fall asleep.

"Is the train here yet? I want Wy to be quick at Bekki's house so we get to my house quicker!" The voice of Mallory piped up. The fact that she was so excited for me to go to her house was new to me. Partly because I don't think anyone had been as excited to see me as these six had. Especially Brighton, that was a very tight hug to say the least.

Southampton was about to answer her question, but was cut off by the tannoy announcement saying the train had arrived at the platform and passengers were to board. At which point he just shrugged and said "There you go Mal, but don't rush Ashleigh okay? She's done a lot of travelling today and she's probably tired." With Southampton being the oldest, it was probably usual that he'd be the one to try and bring his siblings down to earth.

"Okay So'ton." Mallory replied, a bit calmer now after listening to her brother's reasoning. Almost right on cue, Portsmouth started to lead us to the train. Well, except for Bristol who, having the fascination with machinery that she did went immediately out to the train. Thankfully, she didn't forget to take my suitcase with her on the train, otherwise I'd have been worried. After that, we were pretty much heading towards the platform two by two, with Dover still staying close to Portsmouth #probably more out of shyness than anything else#, followed by Southampton and Isle of Wight close behind and bringing up the rear were me and Brighton who still had our seagulls still perched on his shoulders. We shot each other a quick smile, each took a look at Alby and Alex and headed on board the train.


	5. Train Journey over! Everyone is tired

_Chapter four! please enjoy!_

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**The train was delayed, no surprises there, it would probably be a sign of the apocalypse if a train in England ever showed up when it was supposed to. Bristol was admiring the mechanics of the train with such great enthusiasm that she only just noticed that we had taken our seats in the middle of the carriage.**

**So'ton carefully put Ashleigh's suitcase somewhere we'd remember to take it when we got off and we all sat around it. I was next to Ashleigh with Dover on the other side. So'ton opposite me with Brighton on one side and Isle of Wight on the other, Bristol stood by the doors. "Fascinating how they work..." she was muttering to herself.**

**The train journey was pretty uneventful, thankfully we didn't have a repeat of the journey up where Brighton decided to try and do a front-flip on the bars of the baggage rack. Ashleigh dozed off almost as soon as she sat down; trains seemed to have that effect on people I realised. But I decided to let her sleep considering she probably was jet lagged.**

**"Have you got everything set back at your house?" So'ton asked Isle of Wight quietly so as not to wake Ashleigh and Dover, who'd fallen asleep still holding my hand.**

**"Yep!" Isle of Wight whispered " And all the boats are ready as well!"**

**"Everything's set at my house" I add," for when we get there that is!"**

**Finally the train arrives in Portsmouth Harbour station and I nudged Dover.**

**"Ashleigh..." I said, gently shaking her "Time to go!"**

**She seemed a little embarrassed that she'd fallen asleep but we assured her it was no trouble, in fact we had been expecting it considering the length of her journey.**

**We made our way off the train and out of the station, Bristol carrying the suitcase. As usual for my city it was pretty busy around the central area and if it weren't for the sound of waves in the distance and the cry of seabirds you'd have thought we were in some busy inland city.**

**"Welcome to my city!" I said happily as I turned to face Ashleigh again "The ferry Port is just along the harbour!"**

**We walked past all the boats currently docked, Warrior's iron casing was gleaming bright in the sunlight and the Victory's flags read out a special message I'd arranged just for Ashleigh.**

**I pointed "Y'see that wooden ship over there? The one with all the flags?"**

**Ashleigh nodded "That must be Nelson's ship correct?"**

**"Yep!" I continued "the flags all mean a different letter, it's a method of communication we used back then. The message says something really special today!"**

**So'ton grinned "Nice one Pompey, how did you convince them to fly the message 'Welcome Wy'?"**

**For the flags, to those who could read them spelt out the message "WELCOME WY" as I explained to Ashleigh**

Probably the first embarrassing part of the holiday was the fact that I'd fallen asleep on the train. I admit I was tired beyond all belief, but even so, when Bekki woke me up and I realised that I'd pretty much slept through the whole train journey from Southampton to Portsmouth, the first thing that came out of my mouth was "Sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep on you. It's not because you're boring me or anything. I didn't mean to be rude."

Bekki just laughed to herself for a moment before pointing at James the other side of her, who still hadn't woken up yet, despite Bekki's efforts. As she started nudging him again, Jack spoke up from the other side of the table "You have been travelling for almost 24 hours without rest. Of course you'd be tired." I turned to see the smiling faces of him, John (with Alex on his shoulder looking like he'd only just woken up as well) and Mallory.

It was then John's turn to speak "You look so cute sleeping in your Sea Cadet uniform! Up against Bekki too!" His eyes seemed to sparkle with joy at the sight. Like it'd kept him occupied through the whole journey.

"It's like Bekki's your big sister!" Mallory was next to speak up. How James had fallen asleep and she hadn't confused me, but that wasn't my focus at the time, of course. Bekki and I had spoken many times before about having a relationship similar to that of sisters and Jack had previously mentioned me being like a sister to them all. It seems like it's proven to be true, not that I had any doubts, mind.

Once James was woken up and Emmy had torn herself away from the train's machinery (insisting she take my suitcase again), we got off the train and headed out to Portsmouth Harbour. The place was brimming with ships and naval history, as was to be expected from Bekki's city. As we headed towards the ferry port there were ships everywhere you could possibly look. Five of the six English youngsters (James seemed to be more concerned about where I was compared to him, he was probably just nervous about meeting a new person) were looking at all of them with a look of pride on their faces. This was their history after all.

Bekki stopped to look at one in particular. HMS Victory. A wooden boat with several flags being flown from the mast, which was probably from around British Imperial times. I asked to confirm that it was in fact, Horatio Nelson's ship. Bekki then continued to explain that each flag meant a different letter and that was the old method of communication out at sea.

So'ton spoke, an obvious broad grin on his face "Nice one Pompey, how did you convince them to fly the message 'Welcome Wy'?"

A quick look at Bekki's face showed that So'ton had got it right. She was smiling more than I'd ever seen her before and her eyes gleaming as I turned to look back at the ship, and then back to her again.

"Wow…" I managed to get out. I almost couldn't think of any response to it. I was stunned. "That's really impressive, thank you!" I started hugging her around her waist and considering me hugging anyone was often a rarity, she must have known she'd pulled off something special.

Bekki just patted my head gently as we looked at each other, each with a bright smile on our face "I told you I had a surprise for you didn't I?"

I can only hope that my surprise that I'd planned for her or any of her siblings could be half as special for them as her surprise was for me.


	6. Boat Trip! Welcome to the Isle of Wight!

_Chapter 5! Please enjoy! You know the score now! _

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** I was thrilled that Ashleigh enjoyed my present, I was a little worried that I'd have to explain all the flags to her in great detail; but So'ton, who like me had long learnt these flags by heart, had erased any doubts of mine in his perfect translation. With that we headed towards the ferry dock for the Isle of Wight and luckily there was a boat there ready to sail. We had to run to make sure we got to it in time but thankfully it wasn't going to leave without us.**

**Mallory rummaged around in her pocket and brought out our tickets, handing them out to each of us. "One for you Pompey, one for So'ton, one for Brighton, one for Bristol, one for Dover, one for me and finally one for big sis Ashleigh!"**

**I took my ticket and the seven of us boarded the ship, it wasn't going to be a long journey so I sat everyone at one of the tables and we put the suitcase nearby us.**

**"Can we have chocolate?" Brighton asked.**

**"When we get back to the house" I replied "we're not that far away you know that!"**

**Brighton sighed, reached into his pocket and brought out a bar of chocolate he'd had hidden there. Typical, I sighed inwardly, bloody typical.**

**"You want some Ashleigh?" Brighton asked politely as he offered the chocolate around.**

**"Oh, yes please" she replied politely and he handed her, to Isle of Wight's disappointment, the largest piece. (I'd noticed Mallory had wanted that bit, she did love chocolate)**

**So'ton smiled, "Since we're on our way why don't you take a look out on deck?" he suggested to our group " you can see both the island and the mainland at them same time!"**

**Ashleigh seemed to get excited at that, and why wouldn't she? This was something she'd never had the opportunity to see before. I stood up and we went out onto the deck, Bristol and So'ton deciding to stay and look after the seats and the suitcase.**

**Dover clung to my knee again, I looked down "You alright little one?" I asked, he gave a little nod and said nothing. I put it down to him being nervous around strangers.**

**"Look look Ashleigh!" a hyperactive Isle of Wight cried, she was clinging onto the guard rail jumping up and down. I grabbed the back of her collar to stop her falling overboard.**

**"That's my island over there!" Mallory said, "The main port is called Cowes and that's where the regatta's going to be held! And you can't see them now but round the other side are the needles and there's also the beach where we have our house nearby!"**

**I pointed the other way "And back this way you can see my city. The tall glass building will be lit up tonight, that's the Spinneka tower. Can you see the shape of the sail? You'll be able to see it from the island as well."**

**Ashleigh didn't know which way to look there was so much to see. I liked seeing her all happy, it made me happy as well.**

**"Hey!" Bristol's voice from inside called "Ship's docking now! You guys coming!"**

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Unlike most journeys, for example my plane trip over here, the ferry ride was actually quite eventful and interesting, rather than me falling asleep again. That probably had more to do with the fact that my companions all had at least one thing in common: an unassailable love for sailing. And the fact they were so excited to show me so many things. I'd very rarely been on a boat of any kind before, so I wanted to make the most of the occasion.

After Brighton gave me some chocolate, So'ton suggested that I go out on deck and everyone including me agreed. All of us except So'ton and Bristol (who decided to stay back and look after my suitcase) headed to the deck and the first words came from Isle of Wight, who was pointing out her island in one direction from the ship, shortly followed by Bekki pointing out the Spinneka tower and the British mainland in the opposite direction. And Bekki was worried about there not being enough her to keep me interested? There was so much to look at I had no idea where to look! But somehow managed to take it all in.

Once Bristol called us inside, we all headed in as the ship docked and headed off the ship. And that was the ferry ride. We were on the Isle of Wight, which Mallory of course was thrilled about. "Welcome to my island Big Sis!" she almost shouted with happiness, all three of me, Bekki and Bristol looked at her in response but she only looked back at me.

"Thank you for the welcome Mallory. I'm glad you think of me as a sister, because I see you all as brothers and sisters. And I've never had a little sister before either!" Mallory was happy about that for the remainder of the journey back to her house.

"Right, so remember our agreed room arrangements?" So'ton said once we reached the house and got in, to which everyone nodded in response, despite Bekki seeming to complain that it'd been near enough the same every year for centuries now. "So that's James and me," So'ton continued

"I get my own room!" Mallory piped up, "It's my house!"

"Sure you do!" Bekki reinforced "So does John, although he's not really alone with those two seagulls around him is he?"

Brighton laughed to himself "If Ashleigh wants Alex to stay with me and Alby of course"

I nodded in response with a smile and replied "Of course. Alex doesn't get to see his mama often, so he should be able to while he can."

Brighton smiled back and nodded. "The other room is you and Emmy I believe."

"Fantastic," Bristol replied "I'm glad I'm sharing with you Ashleigh."

I smiled at her "Same here!" I said, before pausing for a moment and looking at Bekki "You're really going to sleep in a hammock downstairs aren't you?"

"Like I said I would!" With a smile on her face, she pointed into the front room where, sure enough there was a hammock already set up.

Afterwards, everyone went into their respective rooms to settle down, which gave me a chance to give Bristol her present. During a conversation where I was talking about being a Formula 1 fan thanks to Australia and her wondering how fascinating the workings of such finely designed machines should be, I was casually unpacking when I came across it.

"Oh, Emmy?" I asked, at which point she seemed to stop thinking about machinery and return to the room we were in.

"Yes Ashleigh?" she answered after a moment

"To return the favour of the wooden model of me you gave me when So'ton was at my place, I'd like you to have this as a present." I handed her a small aluminium dolphin that I'd painted. The colour was a yellow tail that faded into a dark blue coloured head, a mimic of the dolphin in my flag, I'd even crafted a little golden coloured crown for it to wear.

"I know it's not really much and doesn't have any of the sorts of machinery like in the model you gave me, but I thought I could play off your theme of using your strengths to produce something by using my own strength of painting."

Bristol took the little toy and appeared to examine it. "I hope she likes it." I thought to myself, if my painting could impress her half as much as her skill with crafting and mechanics impressed me, then I'd achieved something and only had Bekki, James, Mallory and of course, the big one left.


	7. Presents! Where shall we go first?

_Chapter 6! Sorry for the long wait, i had an accident heh heh..._

* * *

**Everyone else having cleared off up to their own rooms I stayed downstairs and ensured the hammock I'd strung up the other day was still stable. Clambered into it and decided to take a brief nap. Enjoying the fact that since Ashleigh had arrived Brighton hadn't pulled a prank, Bristol hadn't gone completely gearhead, Dover was sane and Isle of Wight had broken her previous record of the longest time she'd gone without saying the f-word (which was a minute and a half). 40 seconds of blissful quiet, and then the squeals started.**

**"AH WOW ITS WONDERFUL! THANK YOU SO MUCH"**

**The noise took me by such a surprise I fell out the hammock and onto the floor with a huge THUD. In front of So'ton, who'd just come back into the room.**

**"Sounds like Emmy's excited about something" he said as he helped me up from the floor, trying not to laugh at my spectacular fail at getting out of a hammock. The two of us hurried upstairs to Emmy's room, where i would normally be sleeping if Ashleigh wasn't here, and found the source of the commotion.**

**Bristol was holding up an ornate painted metal dolphin to the light and letting it shimmer. It was delicately painted in yellow that faded to blue, a real work of art.**

**"Isn't it just beautiful?" Bristol exclaimed and she hugged Ashleigh "thank you so much!"**

**I smiled, once again Ashleigh had impressed one of my siblings with her artwork, and I was glad since the dolphin was incredible.**

**Ashleigh was blushing a little so I gave her a reassuring smile and said "do you like your room?"**

**She gave a nod and a smile "It's lovely thank you, but are you sure you'll be ok downstairs?"**

**"So long as she doesn't fall out of her hammock again." So'ton said mischievously, laughing a little. I hit him.**

**"So..that's what...that thud...was..." Dover said quietly.**

**Isle of Wight grinned, "typical Pompey" then she looked up at me and said "since we've got the afternoon can I show Ashleigh round the island? I want to show her the chocolate shop and the needles and everything!"**

**"I think Ashleigh's a little tired for a big trip like that Mal, how about we do something a little more local? We could go down to the beach if you'd like."**

**At this both the Seagulls gave an excited "SQWARK!"**

**"The beach!" Brighton called, raising his hand.**

**"The beach" Dover added, for once he wasn't holding onto my leg.**

**"The beach!" Isle of Wight cried**

**So'ton, Bristol and I turned to Ashleigh "Would you like to come out to the beach little sister?" So'ton asked.**

**"Can't sail since there's no wind but we can go paddling and stuff!" Bristol added.**

**"And it will be a lot more relaxing for your first day here than a big trip round the island." I said kindly.**

* * *

My present for Bristol had served its purpose well. She was thrilled with it. Which was surprising considering it didn't involve any of the machinery that usually fascinated her. Just a little bit of aluminium rafting and some careful painting. Then again, I'm the Artists' Principality, not the Mechanics' Principality.

Soon after Bristol exclaimed at how happy she was with it, everyone else came rushing in to find out what it was all about and found me being tightly hugged by a young Bristolian girl. Once she'd let go of me, everyone else had made it up to our room and the excitement started again.

First was me making sure Bekki was okay with sleeping in a hammock, but she said it was perfectly fine. After So'ton made a comment about her falling out of it though, which earned him a punch in the arm from his sister.

After that, the energy and suggestions started coming. Isle of Wight suggested that she show me her island, but Bekki cut in and said what I was going to say (only she probably said it better due to my inexperience in dealing with kids younger than myself) by saying that I'd done a lot of travelling and that I was very tired. However, she then suggested that we all go to the beach, which excited everyone present, most obviously Alby and Alex, most probably because Brighton and I were both happy at the prospect.

When asked whether I wanted to go, I answered with a yes, then turned to Mallory. "I've had to do a lot of travelling today, so I'll just get really tired and fall asleep again if I don't rest a little okay? And I want to see your island properly."

Mallory just smiled in response before speaking a moment later "That's okay big sister. I can wait." Again she called me big sister and So'ton had called me little sister earlier. Did they all really consider me that close?

After that thought, I remembered something. I smiled and looked to James and Mallory, the two youngest and smiled. "While I've got you two here, I've got something to give you each as well." I started rummaging through my suitcase while the two of them whispered to each other wondering what their gifts were. I had to be careful not to show what my present for Bekki (not to mention my collective present for all of them) but I managed to get these two presents out without showing what I didn't want to yet.

"Okay first Mallory…" I said as I showed her a transparent plastic box with a silver dolphin inside it, but there was more to it than that. "I know Easter is coming up Mallory and I know how much you love chocolate, so I thought you'd like it if I got you a chocolate dolphin!" I explained.

She took the box and smiled brightly "Thank you sister!" She said excitedly "If I didn't have to use both hands to hold this I'd hug you real tight!"

"I'm glad you like it Mallory. And next is James." I looked for the young boy who had shied away and hidden behind his eldest sister's leg again, but regardless, I handed him his present. "And for you, Bekki told me how much you like toy boats, so I thought I should paint a blank one for you." I started to show off the two sides of the boat and explain what I'd done. "Bekki said I should paint it green with a dolphin like in my flag, so I did that on one side, but on the other side, I decided that instead of painting another dolphin, I should paint a Castle, since the history of your castle sounds so interesting to me."

This was the reaction I was worried about the most to be honest. Dover could easily just shy away and not want to accept the gift because of it, but I thought it was unlikely to happen at best.


	8. Off to the Beach! Fun in the sea!

_Here we go again :D please enjoy!_

* * *

**Dover's little eyes widened slightly and he took a couple of tentative steps towards Ashleigh, trying to hold my trouser leg in the process and nearly pulling me over. I detached his fingers and gave him a little push "go on she won't hurt you silly."**

**Carefully he took the boat from Ashleigh, turning it gently to admire all sides. The castle was very detailed from what I could see, it looked a lot like his own castle, something I was especially impressed with since Ashleigh had never seen it, and it was stood atop some tiny painted white cliffs.**

**"Thank...Thank you" he said softly, and he gave Ashleigh a little hug. Then quick as lightning he was back behind my leg again, boat held in his free hand.**

**So'ton laughed "I would take that as the highest form of appreciation Ashleigh, James rarely hugs anyone!"**

**Isle of Wight was ecstatic with her gift, running off to put it away so it wouldn't melt and then running back again to hug Ashleigh and squeal "Thank you!"**

**Everyone was happy, but still willing to help us get the stuff for the beach. Towels, Hats, buckets, spades, beach shoes and spare clothing. I packed a small basket of snacks, because a picnic on the beach is a traditional British thing to do, to take with us and off we went!**

**Isle of Wight's house was only a short walk from the seafront, and when we got there So'ton and I spread out the towels and sat down. Brighton ran straight for the sea, Albion taking Alex over to the rocks for flying lessons.**

**"SEAAAAAAAAA!" Brighton yelled as he charged towards the water.**

**"It's gonna be cold!" I yelled after him.**

**Brighton ran into the water up to his knees, stopped, shivered and ran out again.**

**"Told you" I laughed "go in slowly for goodness sake!"**

**Ashleigh sat beside me on one of our beach towels, she looked a little worried. I patted her on the head gently "Don't worry the sea won't be that bad, it just takes a little getting used to is all. It's actually nice when you're in there."**

**Dover waved at us, he was already up to his knees (a lot less deep than Brighton had gone since he's only little) skipping rocks out to sea. Isle of Wight was over in the rock pools.**

**"You can go in if you like, I'll come join you in a minute!" I suggested to Ashleigh as I rummaged through the food basket, I'd put Dover's meds in here somewhere...**

**Ashleigh nodded and stood up, making her way over to where Dover was standing. I could see he was talking to her, but it was too far away for me to hear.**

* * *

How Dover would react to me giving him a gift was probably one of the most tense parts of the whole trip, since he'd been a bit shy and unpredictable around me. And the only thing that was predictable about him since I'd arrived was he'd clutch onto Bekki's leg a lot. However, I was overjoyed when he not only accepted the gift and thanked me for it, but snuck in a little hug too. As So'ton said at the time, that's probably the highest form of appreciation coming from him.

Then less tense, but no less fulfilling was Isle of Wight's overjoyed reaction to the chocolate dolphin I gave her. She sprinted down the stairs to put it away and ran back up to hug me tightly and thank me. My response was "Glad you like it. I thought you would." After that, we started to get ready to go to the beach.

The seven of us packed our things and headed out for the beach. I'd actually been able to change in that time though; I wasn't going to the beach in my Sea Cadet uniform and risk ruining it. So I switched to my more usual cardigan, shorts and sandals. To my amazement, I wasn't too cold going out dressed like that, despite what I'd been told about British weather in comparison to Australian weather.

Once we'd gotten to the beach, everyone set at doing what they wanted while So'ton and Bekki sorted out the towels. I however, was hesitant to go swimming in the sea. Not out of fear of the water or anything, but more the fact that I was pushing my luck in not being cold as it is, I wasn't really prepared to leap into water that was cold even by British standards (as Brighton had proved).

Bekki, being the kind of person she is, seemed to know exactly what I was thinking, but reassured me that the water would be fine once I'd gotten used to it. I went out into the sea, Bekki having told me she'd soon follow me in and decided to walk over to Dover because I could use him as an indication as to how far I could go because of our similar heights. Not only that, but he looked lonely just skipping rocks with nobody else really around (the closest to him was Brighton, who'd gone much further out than I had the confidence to at that point).

Hesitantly, I went into the sea, definitely feeling the cold around my ankles and soon my knees as I went further out to go speak to Dover. Once I'd gotten close to him, I reached out and tapped his shoulder, which caused him to turn around very quickly, almost as if he was panicking, but he seemed to calm down a little when he saw it was me. However, he also seemed flustered and frustrated when he saw that Bekki was too far away for him to run and hide behind.

Eventually he spoke in his nervous, soft voice "Hello…Ashleigh. Why are you….over here?"

"I don't want to go too far out since I'm not used to the sea like you. Also, you looked lonely out here so I wanted to talk to you."

"You….want to…talk to…me?" He seemed very surprised by what I said but I thought I'd continue while he was listening.

"I'm glad you liked the boat I painted for you. Out of all the presents I've given out to you all I think yours was the first I'd started planning." I smiled at him, which seemed to embarrass him a little, but he didn't back away like I'd expected him to.

"Thank…you…Ashleigh. You're a…great painter." He managed to smile a little shy smile, which was probably the most I'd get out of him at this point. Then, as if on cue, Bekki ran into the sea behind us and patted each of our heads, looking almost intrigued as to what we'd just been talking about with So'ton sat back by the towels looking over at the three of us.

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_Hope you liked it :D_


	9. Home for dinner!

**Wy in England 8**

**The sea was freezing, just as I was expecting it to be, but nevertheless I ran out to join the two paddling in the shallows. Dover smiled when he saw me, reassured that he wasn't on his own I supposed but it looked like the two had been talking.**

**"See, it's not too cold!" I said "just takes some getting used to is all"**

**"Then it's time you got used to it!" A voice behind me called and before i had time to turn a bucket of seawater was upended over my head. Soaked to the bone I whipped round to see Brighton legging it back across the beach as fast as he could.**

**Ashleigh tried to stifle a giggle and Dover was laughing. From by the rock pools i could hear the laughter of Isle of Wight and So'ton, who'd gone to join her. I growled... "Excuse me for a minute" I said to Dover and Ashleigh, I sprinted across the beach; catching up with Brighton easily, slung him over one shoulder and then tossed him into the sea.**

**Returning to the others I smiled "sorry about that, just had to get rid of a little pest." then I too started laughing.**

**Ashleigh looked a little shocked, glancing over to make sure Brighton was ok but when he dragged himself out of the sea wet and laughing she seemed reassured.**

**"What were you two talking about just then?" I asked politely. Looking at both Dover and Ashleigh.**

**"Nothing..." Dover said "just...about my...new boat"**

**I nodded, thinking that perhaps it wasn't my business what those two talked about.**

**All of us went back onto the shore and built sandcastles after that, Brighton's were very elaborate since he'd had a lot of practise. And once Ashleigh got the hang of it her artistic talent began to shine through her work. Isle of Wight made a big show of what she's collected in her bucket from the rock pools.**

**"See! Four crabs, some shrimps, limpets and a starfish!" she announced.**

**"Plus about a tonne of seaweed" So'ton added.**

**The day seemed to pass by quickly at the beach and soon the sun was setting. Dover began yawning and Isle of Wight's hyperactivity began to wear off as she also began to get tired.**

**"I think it's time we went back home" Bristol decided "I'm tired and hungry"**

**"What's for dinner?" Brighton asked as we walked back.**

**"Whatever I can be bothered to cook when we get back" I said and then turned to Ashleigh "What kind of food do you like?"**

The day out at one of Isle of Wight's beach was certainly a very pleasant day. I'd had what was probably a good conversation with Dover (since he's as shy around me as he is, that was as good as I was going to get) before Bekki came into the water and told me that the water was fine for her being used to it. However, for me being used to warmer Australian waters, this sea was freezing.

However, she didn't seem to think the water was all that fine when a bucket full of it was poured on her head courtesy of Brighton. While I resisted the urge to laugh at her and ended up having to stifle my giggles, she politely requested (probably while supressing rage) that we give her a moment before she ran off to chase Brighton and ended up throwing him into the sea. I'll admit, I was quite worried for Brighton immediately after I saw him take an unintended bath in the sea. It wasn't something I was used to seeing after all. But I realised my worries were unfounded when Brighton got out of the water laughing.

Meanwhile, Bekki returned to where Dover and I were standing, laughing herself and standing in a victorious stance. Then she asked what we'd been talking about and surprisingly, Dover spoke quicker than me and said that we were talking about his new boat that I'd given to him earlier that day.

Bekki just nodded and smiled, probably thinking it was cute that Dover and I were getting along somewhat. But whatever she was thinking, it didn't matter at that point as we headed back to the beach, where Mallory, accompanied by So'ton, happily displayed a bucket full of what she'd caught in the rock pools.

Then the sun started to set and day was becoming evening. It was obvious that Dover and Isle of Wight were getting tired and I was certainly quite tired myself, I wasn't going to fall asleep on them mind. Not again. Anyway, we started gathering our things and heading home when Bekki asked me what I'd like to eat. I thought for a moment, trying to remember something before I replied "You said when you first started writing letters to me that you made nice fish and chips. I'd like to try that if it's fine with you and everyone else."

Bekki laughed to herself a little and replied "I think the fact you can remember me saying that from months ago deserves some nice fish and chips in itself." Looked like I'd be having fish and chips for dinner then!

As we got into the house, I'd say things went fortunately for me. Firstly, I knew Bekki would be cooking rather than paying attention to me specifically, Mallory, Dover and So'ton immediately went up to their rooms, Brighton tried to test out Bekki's hammock for himself (which probably ended badly with Alby and Alex around) while Bristol went to her little "workshop away from home" to work on something. That meant I'd be able to go up to my room and make a slight change of clothes.

A few minutes later, I snuck down into the kitchen making sure I wasn't seen or heard by anyone (which was difficult on a wooden surface in the shoes I was wearing). Again I came in at a convenient time, Bekki had her back to me as I came in. Quietly tip toeing towards her I tugged her shirt once it was within reach and asked "Do you need any help Bekki?"

She turned around and started to speak "No thank you Ash-" She stopped mid-sentence once she faced directly at me. Most probably because it took her a few moments to register that I was dressed in full Portsmouth FC kit, complete with blue and white football boots.


End file.
